4. The radical right fared the worst. It lost races so safe they had to be given away.

So, for example, the major step toward reducing nationwide health care costs by adopting the single-payer approach clearly needs to be on the table. This country can afford adequate health care.

What we can't afford is to maintain wallet-busting insurance company participation in the process. Sure, this breaches ideological purity, but we should all be willing to "compromise" on a solution that offers better services and outcomes at lower total cost.